ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders placed defensive end Chase Young on the reserve/physically unable to perform list Tuesday, leaving him unavailable for the first four games of the season.
Young opened camp on the active/PUP list after tearing his right ACL and MCL in a Nov. 14 game vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Young underwent reconstructive surgery, lengthening his recovery time.
Washington made the move to get down to the required 80 players by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline. The Commanders also placed backup center Tyler Larsen (Achilles) on the same list as Young.
The move with Young wasn’t a surprise, given that Washington coach Ron Rivera mentioned the possibility earlier in training camp and had previously announced that Young wouldn’t be ready to return by Week 1 when the Commanders host the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Young won’t be eligible to return until Oct. 9 against the Tennessee Titans.
“As we go through this, it’s hard to predict on recovery time,” Rivera said Tuesday. “This injury is a little bit more severe than the average one is, and because of that, the timeline is a little bit longer. What is that timeline? I can’t tell you.”
Young, the second overall pick in the 2020 draft, recorded 1.5 sacks in nine games last season. As a rookie, he finished with 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and three recoveries, one of which resulted in a touchdown, and was named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Without Young at end, Washington will use James Smith-Williams and Casey Toohill in his place.
The Commanders also released receiver Kelvin Harmon and tackle Rashod Hill and placed linebacker Nathan Gerry on the reserve/injured list.
